Lentil Pasta Salad with Fregola

Lentils, fregola pasta, sun-dried tomatoes, black olives, and fresh herbs are just some of the healthy ingredients in this Italian Lentil Pasta Salad. Great tasting and the leftovers of this fregola recipe make the best-packed lunches! 

Today, I will be singing the praises of this humble and healthy lentil fregola salad.

Made with a few of my favorite ingredients (hopefully yours too) and some fresh herbs and spices, you will quickly fall in love with this salad recipe.

What is fregola:

Fregola, this wonderful pasta from Sardinia, is unfamiliar to a lot of people, but it’s one of the staples in my pantry.

What does fregola look like? 

As you can see, fregola is tiny little beads of semolina which have been toasted. The roasting creates different color variations, from tan to dark brown; these different colors contribute to the visual rustic appeal of the final dish. As we all know, we eat with our eyes first!

What does fregola feel like? 

The process of roasting these little beads of semolina will create a rough surface with a great absorbability factor. As a result, it is great with sauces. Fregola’s firm texture is a welcome addition to many salads as well.

Roasting the fregola also enhances another one of our five senses… taste!

What does fregola taste like? 

Given that it is a pasta, fregola tastes surprising nutty.  This unique flavor contribution, combined with its chewy texture, makes it an ideal ingredient to use in salads.

If you are looking for more salad recipes using fregola, be sure to click here.

Just in case you are wondering, fregola can be found in most Italian specialty stores. It can easily be found online as well.

Lentils:

There isn’t much that I can say about this wonderful legume that I haven’t already said in this post about using lentils as a meal prep solution.

Lentils are:

• both accessible and affordable.
• easy to prepare (rinse, simmer, serve).
• so healthy for you.
• delicious.

They can also easily be incorporated in almost any dish. One of my favorites is this Italian Lentil Soup Recipe.

… I could go on, but I think you get the picture.  If you want to know more about lentils, there are videos and cooking tutorials available on the Lentils.org website. I encourage you to check this website out as it is such a great reference for anyone that wants to learn more about lentils!

I’ve probably talked enough about my two favorite ingredients… let’s make this fregola salad.

Instructions

We are going to need two pots, one to cook the lentils and the other to cook the fregola.

In the first pot, place about 3 cups of water and bring it to a boil. Then add 1 cup of lentils (green or brown) and simmer for approximately 20 minutes or until the lentils reach the stage where they still have a nice chew to them.

In the other pot, bring 4 cups of salted water to a boil. Add 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 bay leaf, and 1 cup of fregola.  Reduce the heat and simmer for about 10-12 minutes (or according to package cooking time). The texture we are looking for is al dente, just like any other pasta.

While the lentils and the fregola are simmering, we can get started on the vinaigrette.

In a medium bowl, whisk together 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, 1½ balsamic vinegar, 1 teaspoon of honey, 1½ tablespoons of lemon juice, and ½ teaspoon zest. If you like a little heat, go ahead and add a few pinches of hot pepper flakes. Taste and adjust for salt and pepper.

Once the fregola is cooked, drain and place in a large mixing bowl. Remove the bay leaf and add about 1 tablespoon of olive oil and toss together.

Next, add ⅓ cup of chopped Italian flatleaf parsley, ¼ cup chopped fresh chives, ¼ cup finely chopped celery, ⅓ cup of Sun-Dried Tomatoes, ¼ cup black olives. Add the vinaigrette and combine it thoroughly together. 

The lentils will take a little longer to cook, but when they are done, just add them in.

Combine and season with salt and pepper according to personal taste. One final drizzle of olive oil or a generous squirt of lemon juice and you’re done!

Tips

• the addition of toasted almonds or walnuts compliments the nuttiness of the fregola. They also some great texture.
• Serve this salad warm, at room temperature or even cold.
• The leftovers make for great lunches!

Easy lentil recipes we love

Italian Lentil Soup Recipe

Quick Pasta Risotto

Slow Cooker Lentil Stew Recipe 

Recipe origins

Fregola is, without a doubt, a household favorite. Its nuttiness and unique texture just elevate any dish it is in.

My family just loves it in pasta salads. More often than not, we don’t even use a recipe. We just start adding fresh and wholesome ingredients together and taste as we go along.

This particular recipe was the result of my daughter and me experimenting and having fun in the kitchen.

As a result of its versatility, you can combine it with nearly any herb and vegetable you have on hand.

But don’t take my word for it… try it for yourself and be sure to leave a comment!

I love to hear about your recipes that include fregola.

THANKS SO MUCH for following and being part of the She Loves Biscotti community where you will find Simple & Tasty Family-Friendly Recipes with an Italian Twist.

Ciao for now,

Maria

★★★★★ If you have made this Lentil Salad recipe, I would love to hear about it in the comments below and be sure to rate the recipe!